R. Parthiban & Devayani Movies Together List — 5 Films

The shape of the work

The 1990s account for 60% of everything they made together. The 1990s belonged to Nee Varuvai Ena; the 2000s to Azhagi. R. Parthiban acted in every film; Devayani acted in all of them. Strictly Tamil cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Parthiban cast Devayani in Swarnamukhi (1998) after seeing her in a small Telugu film. He was the director and lead actor. She was just 18. He took a chance on a newcomer.
• In Azhagi (2002), Parthiban played a much older man pining for Devayani's character. He deliberately underacted to let her carry the emotional weight. She did most of the crying scenes in one take. He said later that her rawness made the film feel real.
• During the shoot of Nee Varuvai Ena (1999), Devayani's father passed away. Parthiban personally drove her to the cremation ground and stayed with her family for three days. She has never spoken about it publicly.
• Parthiban once told a magazine: 'Devayani is the only actress who never asked me what her character's backstory was. She just trusted me blindly. That trust made me write better scenes for her.'
• Their film Ninaikkatha Naalillai (2001) was remade in Telugu as Nee Premakai. That Telugu version launched the career of a young director named V. V. Vinayak. He went on to make blockbusters with Allu Arjun.
• In Pudhumai Pithan (1998), Parthiban played a deaf-mute. Devayani had to communicate entirely through eye contact and hand gestures. She later said she learned sign language just for the role, and Parthiban would test her by signing random lines between takes.